Arch Street Meeting House

What Arch Street Meeting House does

Arch Street Meeting House is a 501(c)(3) historic site and museum in Old City Philadelphia, operated by the Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT) on behalf of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. The two-acre property was deeded by William Penn to Philadelphia Quakers in 1701 as a burial ground and has been in continuous use for over 324 years; the current meeting house building was constructed between 1803 and 1811. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2011, the same year ASMHPT was established to preserve and program the property. It holds original artifacts including the 1688 Germantown Petition Against Slavery and a burial ground containing up to 20,000 burials.

The organization's core offerings include daily museum visits (10 AM–4 PM), guided and self-guided tours for tourists and school groups, educational programming aligned to Pennsylvania curriculum standards, the 'Untold Stories in Quaker History' podcast, virtual video tours, and a community food pantry and fridge program. The building also functions as a Quaker worship space for the Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia on Sundays and is rented for weddings, corporate events, and community gatherings, with a Reception Room (1,595 sq ft) accommodating up to 100 guests. Technology is used primarily for digital content distribution — podcast, virtual tour, newsletter, and Instagram — rather than as a core product; a major new exhibit 'The History of Quakers: A Religious Revolution' is scheduled for April 2026.

The business model is a diversified nonprofit revenue mix: museum admission fees, space rental income, individual and recurring donations (via online portal), corporate donations through Pennsylvania's Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program, and grant funding from foundations and government. The 'A Place For Friends' capital campaign has raised over $4 million from 20+ institutional funders as of December 2025, including a $336,187 National Park Service Save America's Treasures grant for fire suppression. The organization is lean, with 8 employees, and derives strategic scale from partnerships with the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, MMFP, Bloomberg Arts Internship, and various Quaker and civic foundations.

Name

Arch Street Meeting House

Legal name

Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust

Website

https://historicasmh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1701

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arch Street Meeting House is a 501(c)(3) National Historic Landmark in Old City Philadelphia operating as a museum, educational site, Quaker worship space, and event venue, serving tourists, school groups, the local Quaker community, and renters through donations, admissions, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historic Site and Museum Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (71212), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Historical Sites (712120)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Historic/Heritage Conference Hotels (THAGALAL)

Keywords

• Historic site tours
• Museum exhibits
• Educational programs
• Event venue rentals
• Community food assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: Daily museum admissions providing access to exhibits, the meeting house, and burial grounds for tourists and visitors.
2. Space Rentals: Rental income from hosting events including weddings, cocktail hours, intimate receptions, and community gatherings in spaces like the Reception Room (1595 sq ft) and West Room.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible charitable donations to the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, including online giving, mail-in checks, and recurring donations.
4. Grants and Capital Campaign: Funding from foundations, government grants (National Park Service Save America's Treasures), and the 'A Place For Friends' capital campaign. As of December 2025, over $4 million has been raised.
5. Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC): Pennsylvania state tax credit program allowing businesses to receive tax credits by donating to the organization's educational programs for schools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Arch Street Meeting House is operated by the Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, as a historic site combining museum exhibits, educational programs, Quaker worship space, event rentals, and community services. The site offers daily museum visits (10 AM - 4 PM), student and group tours, a podcast series, facility rentals for weddings and events, and the Friends Pantry & Community Fridge food assistance program.

Product overview

Arch Street Meeting House is a historical museum and Quaker worship space offering a unified experience combining museum visits, educational programs, facility rentals, and community services. The core offerings include daily museum visits with exhibits on Quaker history, the 'Untold Stories in Quaker History' podcast, student and group educational tours, facility rentals for events, and the Friends Pantry & Community Fridge community service program. The organization is preparing to launch a major new exhibit 'The History of Quakers: A Religious Revolution' in April 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum Visits
• Educational Programs and Student Tours
• Untold Stories in Quaker History Podcast
• Facility Rentals
• Friends Pantry and Community Fridge
• Virtual Video Tour

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2,000,000 annual economic impact to Philadelphia
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia (MMFP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 November 2023ASMHPT and MMFP have established a collaborative relationship to serve the community. MMFP is the Quaker worship community that meets at ASMH on Sundays, and together they established the Friends Pantry & Community Fridge to support individuals facing food insecurity.
• Keep Pennsylvania BeautifulsupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 November 2023Funding partner for the Friends Pantry & Community Fridge project through the Healing the Planet Grant Program.
• The GIANT CompanysupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 November 2023Supporting partner for the Healing the Planet Grant Program funding the Friends Pantry & Community Fridge.
• Bloomberg Arts Internship and Greater Philadelphia Cultural AlliancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing internship opportunities and video production for Arch Street Meeting House's intern program, including content about a day in the life of an intern.
• Philabundance's Community Food Center Choice Food PantrysupportingOthersCommunity partner where Hazele Goodridge, member of MMFP, began volunteering in 2010, leading to the establishment of the Friends Pantry at ASMH.
• Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASMHPT operates the meeting house and grounds on behalf of PYM. PYM holds worship services and gatherings at the site.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Direct peers

• Christ Church Philadelphia: A historic Philadelphia religious site operating as an active congregation, tourist attraction, and event venue. Directly comparable as a National Historic Landmark combining worship, museum, and rental functions on a similar scale.
• Cliveden (National Trust Historic Site): A small Philadelphia-area historic house museum operated as a nonprofit, comparable in scale and preservation-focused mission. Useful comparable for small historic-house visitation and rental economics.
• Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site: A Philadelphia historic site operating as a museum and event venue. Closely comparable in scale, nonprofit model, mix of museum admissions + event rentals, and capital-campaign-funded preservation focus.
• Betsy Ross House: A small Philadelphia historic house museum operating on admissions and rentals with a similarly focused mission (American Revolution-era history). Highly comparable in visitor scale and operational footprint.

Broad incumbents

• National Constitution Center: A larger Philadelphia-based civic/heritage institution with shared founding-era American history theme, comparable education programming, and donation-driven nonprofit structure. Operates at meaningfully greater scale.
• Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission: State agency operating and supporting Pennsylvania historic sites and museums. Provides grants to ASMH and operates comparable historic-site venues across the state.
• Museum of the American Revolution: A larger privately operated Philadelphia history museum with shared subject-matter overlap (early American / Quaker-influenced history) and similar revenue model (admissions, rentals, donations). Broad incumbent in the same city.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: National nonprofit focused on preservation of historic sites like ASMH; a potential funding partner, peer operator, and benchmarking organization for grant-funded preservation strategy.
• Independence National Historical Park (NPS): Federal operator of Independence Hall and adjacent historic sites in Philadelphia's Old City. Largest competitor for founding-era/Quaker-adjacent visitors; serves as anchor institution whose visitor flow ASMH benefits from.

Emerging players

• Historic Germantown: A consortium of Philadelphia historic sites collaborating on shared programming and marketing. Quasi-peer partnership model relevant to ASMH's community engagement and shared-vistor strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/historicasmh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arch-street-meeting-house

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arch Street Meeting House